Formed in 1963 in Muswell Hill, North London, they first gained prominence on the heels of the well-received and highly influential single "You Really Got Me" (1964). The group originally consisted of lead singer/guitarist Ray Davies, his brother lead guitarist Dave Davies, drummer Mick Avory, and bassist Pete Quaife. Quaife left (twice) in the late 1960s, and Avory finally left in 1984 as the result of a long-running dispute with Dave Davies, leaving only the Davies brothers as the core of the original group.
With Ray Davies' songwriting skills and unabashedly English voices, Dave Davies' impressive guitar work, and Avory's tight and steady drumming, the band became one of the best and most influential groups of British pop and the "British Invasion" of the U.S.A., lasting longer than any of their competitors, apart from the Rolling Stones, as they broke up in 1996. Their catalogue of songs has been covered by Van Halen, The Pretenders, The Black Keys, The Stranglers, Queens of the Stone Age , and many more.
Members:
Ray Davies – vocals, rhythm guitar (1963–1996)
Dave Davies – lead guitar, vocals (1963–1996)
Pete Quaife – bass guitar (1963–1969)
John Dalton – bass guitar (1969–1976)
Andy Pyle – bass guitar (1976–1978)
Jim Rodford – bass guitar (1978–1996)
Mick Avory – drums (1963–1984)
Bob Henrit – drums (1984–1996)
John Gosling – keyboards, piano (1970–1978)
Gordon Edwards – keyboards, piano (1978–1979)
Ian Gibbons – keyboards, piano (1979–1989, 1993–1996)
Mark Haley – keyboards, piano (1989–1993)
Big Black Smoke
The Kinks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A little country home,
A little country folk,
Made her blood run cold.
Now her mother pines her heart away,
Looking for her child in the big black smoke,
In the big black smoke.
According to her ma, according to her pa,
And everybody said,
That she knew no sin and did no wrong,
Till she walked the streets of the big black smoke,
Of the big black smoke.
Well, she slept in caffs and coffee bars and bowling alleys,
And every penny she had
Was spent on purple hearts and cigarettes.
She took all her pretty coloured clothes,
And ran away from home
And the boy next door,
For a boy named Joe.
And he took her money for the rent
And tried to drag her down in the big black smoke,
In the big black smoke.
In the big black smoke.
In the big black smoke.
The Kinks's song Big Black Smoke tells the story of a young girl who becomes disillusioned with her life in the countryside and runs away to the city to start a new life with a man named Joe. The song, which was released in 1967, explores the idea of young people looking for excitement and adventure, and the dangers that can come with such a lifestyle.
The song begins with the girl being sick and tired of country life, with the little country home and folk making her blood run cold. Her mother is left pining for her child, searching for her in the big black smoke of the city. The girl is described as the frailest and purest the world has ever seen, but this changes when she walks the streets of the big black smoke.
She sleeps in cafes, coffee bars, and bowling alleys, spending all of her money on drugs and cigarettes. She runs away from home and a boy next door for a boy named Joe, who takes her money for rent and tries to drag her down into the big black smoke. The song ultimately serves as a warning about the dangers of city life and how it can corrupt even the purest of individuals.
Line by Line Meaning
She was sick and tired of country life.
The girl was fed up with living in the countryside.
A little country home,
She disliked living in a small country home.
A little country folk,
She didn't like the small town people.
Made her blood run cold.
Her dislike for country life was so strong it gave her chills.
Now her mother pines her heart away,
Her mother is heartbroken and misses her.
Looking for her child in the big black smoke,
Her mother is searching for her in the city.
In the big black smoke.
Reiterating that the girl is in the city.
Frailest, purest girl the world has seen,
The girl was fragile and innocent.
According to her ma, according to her pa,
Her parents and family saw her that way as well.
And everybody said,
This was a widely held belief about her.
That she knew no sin and did no wrong,
Everyone believed she was a saintly figure who never did anything improper.
Till she walked the streets of the big black smoke,
Until she arrived in the city and her lifestyle changed.
Of the big black smoke.
Continuing to describe her new city surroundings.
Well, she slept in caffs and coffee bars and bowling alleys,
The girl had to sleep in public spaces because she had no home.
And every penny she had
She was destitute and had very little money.
Was spent on purple hearts and cigarettes.
The little money she did have went towards drugs and smoking.
She took all her pretty coloured clothes,
She left everything behind in her old life.
And ran away from home
She left her hometown.
And the boy next door,
She left her old love interest behind.
For a boy named Joe.
She left for a new man in the city named Joe.
And he took her money for the rent
Joe was using her for money.
And tried to drag her down in the big black smoke,
Joe tried to influence her into his bad lifestyle in the city.
In the big black smoke.
Closing out the song by describing the city and the girl's new life.
In the big black smoke.
Finalizing the description of the city and the girl's struggles.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RAYMOND DOUGLAS DAVIES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Astro Gremlin
Love the Kinks and love this song. I bought the record but glad it hasn't been taken down here.
Moe Crosby
Wow. I never knew. I had an old 8-track of this album. I never heard this before! What a story!
gary miramon
Why wasn't this on the original release? Brilliant !!! This album is second only to "Village Green"...
John Barry
"Arthur's" great as well!!
Andy Grant
So this was a B side? What a delight it must have been to flip this record... unsurpassed...
Spurs Gog
It was 🤗
Peter Alexander
Even better than I remember.
Sic Synch
think Ray because he had a few personality frailties could write a song like this and really adapt them to the characters he sang of, make them sound as genuine and as believeable as he did.
playitsafe20
Similar to Beatles "She's Leaving Home", but a year earlier and with Ray's social commentary putting more substance into the lyrics.
total stranger
If we're lucky, someday a decent stereo mix will be made of 'Big Black Smoke'. Until then, refer to the original mono B-side of 'Deadend Street' for the real deal, which will include Dave Davies' genius 'town crier' ending and those glorious London church bells.